1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to splash guards, and more particularly to splash guards for protecting against splashes of heated grease and other heated food.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Stove-top ranges are usually considered an essential implement in any kitchen. However, such ranges are also dangerous and messy. Not only can the stove-top itself burn curious children's hands, but hot grease from stove-top food can splatter or splash, causing burns and messes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,356, issued to Paul I. Pugach, on Jan. 22, 1957, describes a guard for a cooking range. The guard slides out of a slide-way and pivots to form a perpendicular wall between a range and its surroundings. The wall does not extend from the range at an obtuse angle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,826, issued to Charles F. Hellmuth, on May 26, 1970, describes a stove guard. The guard comprises a right-angled wall that totally surrounds a range, and includes an inner lip on the wall. This arrangement potentially increases the danger inherent in using a range, inasmuch as the lip could catch a handle of a pan, and the totally encompassing, right-angled wall would tend to obstruct a user's access to and control over pots and pans on the range.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,343, issued to Dorothy M. Hartman, on May 22, 1979, describes a safety device for a stove. The device has a hinged plate that pivots to overlie front burners of a range. The front burners cannot be used while the plate is overlying the front burners.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,705, issued to Michael N. Caan, on Jun. 12, 1979, describes a range guard. The guard is a U-shaped wall member that juts upward from an edge of a range at a ninety degree angle, preventing generous access of a user to a range guarded by the device of this patent. The wall does not extend from the range at an obtuse angle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,955, issued to Conrad P. Ehrlich, et al., on May 21, 1985, describes a stove safety guard that attaches to a side or sides of a range via hinges and latches. The guard of this patent is relatively complicated and hence relatively expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,181, issued to Halvor Saga, on Jun. 6, 1989, describes a safety device for stoves. The device of this patent includes a complicated track operation in which a wall portion is raised relative to a range, with a ninety degree angle. The wall does not extend from the range at an obtuse angle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,255, issued to Bradford L. Harrison, on Dec. 31, 1991, describes an appliance barrier that attaches to a range via C-clamp members, with a ninety degree angle. The wall does not extend from the range at an obtuse angle.
British Patent Document No. 924,944, issued to Ellen Louise Billet, on May 1, 1963, describes a safety guard for cooking appliances. The guard has an openable mesh screen that totally surrounds a range and extends at a ninety-degree angle from the range, thus tending to obstruct a user's access to and control over pots and pans on the range.
German Patent Document No. 3,722,623, issued to Alwin Neukamm, on Jan. 19, 1989, describes a splash protector for a range. The protector is disposed horizontally above the range, and is adjustable vertically. A region of the range covered by the protector, making that region inaccessible to a user of the range.
Netherlands Patent Document No. 8,801,604, issued to J. P. Vos, on Jan. 16, 1990, describes a range guard. The guard is a U-shaped wall member that juts upward from an edge of a range at ninety degree angle, preventing generous access of a user to a range guarded by the device of this patent. The wall does not extend from the range at an obtuse angle.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.